ASHEBORO—North Carolina zoo leaders are setting up a plan that guarantees a strong future for the animals and visitors. After a little more than 40 years, officials are looking forward to the next 20 years.
The North Carolina Zoo is already one of the country's largest natural habitat zoo and a proposed 20 year plan looks to expand it.
"We need to continue our excellent animal welfare. We need to help the world understand we are a one of a kind place. We need to bring people in from all over the east coast, so a 500 mile radius. What we have to do is make it an experience,” said Pat Simmons, NC Zoo deputy director.
The first of the seven phase plan is to bring in tigers, orangutans, kangaroos and other animals and make it an up close and personal experience.
"On top of that, we're actually going to take you in to the African area on safari rides so you can get almost nose to nose with the animals. Those kinds of experiences are going to be important,” said Simmons.
They also want to increase the educational experiences for visitors.
"We'll put you in glass bottom gondolas and fly you up over the zoo, we'll put you on trains or other kinds of segways, we'll give you extreme adventures where you're ziplining and hiking and biking on Purgatory Mountain. We'll give you incredible education experiences," said Simmons.
With the additional animals, rides and dining experiences officials are expecting guests to come from all over the east coast.
"We're going to be accessible to something like 500 million people in the next 10 to 20 years. And of course, apart of the investment the state is going to make in the zoo it's also making a huge investment in the road network," said Dr. David Jones, NC Zoo director.
Phase One of the plan would be covered by Gov. McCrory's $45 million bond proposal. Of that, $15 million would be fundraised. The referendum could be on this November's ballot.